Need something to do this weekend that’s family-friendly, educational and entertaining? Check out the newly relocated and expanded National Museum of the Great Lakes, organized by the Great Lakes Historical Society.
The museum, scheduled to open Saturday, April 26, was uprooted from Vermilion, Ohio and transplanted in Toledo, Ohio, where it could flourish within the 9,000-square-feet space that is jam packed with Great Lakes history.
The new museum is located in the Toledo Maritime Center and features 258 historical artifacts from Great Lakes vessels, numerous documentary videos and interactive displays, according to an article on the Toledo Blade website. In front of the museum, visitors will get to see and experience the the S.S. Col. James M Schoonmaker.
But the museum wants visitors to remember more than just the shipwrecks on the Great Lakes — they want visitors to see how the Great Lakes fit into American history as a whole, according to an article by Michigan Radio. Visitors are also welcomed to try out the museums “dive” simulator to test out theories on why the Edmund Fitzgerald sank, as well as the bilge pump exhibit.
According to the National Museum of the Great Lakes’ website, the exhibit philosophy is to “educate the visitor about the importance of the Great Lakes to our national story… We will accomplish this goal of education in visually, auditory and tactile compelling ways so that the experience is engrossing and entertaining.”
The museum opens Saturday at 10 a.m. For more information, visit inlandseas.org.
The above photo illustrates the layout of the new National Museum of the Great Lakes in Toledo, Ohio. Photo courtesy The Great Lakes Historical Society
